Karun Nair recognizes Vidarbha’s current circumstances as difficult but remains positive and steadfast in their approach.

Mumbai appeared to be in control as Vidarbha struggled against a daunting target of 538 in the Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium. With Vidarbha at 248 for five, needing another 290 runs to win, the home side seemed to have the match in hand. However, cricket’s unpredictability means that surprises are always possible.

Karun Nair, Vidarbha’s top scorer in the second innings so far, acknowledged the challenge ahead but emphasized his team’s resilience. “We have to be realistic. It’s a tough task, but this team never gives up. They always show character when they are under pressure,” Nair said. His dismissal late on Day 4, with Vidarbha at 223 for five, may have tilted the game in Mumbai’s favor, but Nair’s words suggest that Vidarbha will continue to fight until the end.

Nair batted resolutely for 287 minutes, facing 220 deliveries and scoring 74 runs. His partnership of 90 runs with captain Akshay Wadkar (56 not out) for the fifth wicket was beginning to unsettle the Mumbai team when Musheer produced a brilliant delivery to get an edge from Nair. His dismissal came at a crucial time, according to Mumbai.

“It was very well-timed. We would have been even happier if we had taken one more wicket,” said Tushar Deshpande, the Mumbai paceman, who attempted some short deliveries in the final session to force the Vidarbha batters into a more aggressive approach. However, they only managed to score 238 runs in 92 overs on the day, a slower rate than expected in modern-day cricket.

However, Vidarbha remained determined to extend the game to the fifth and final day and assess their options from there. Since the pitch offered little assistance to the bowlers, Vidarbha’s strategy was to preserve wickets and take calculated risks on the fifth day. Nair’s dismissal may have disrupted those plans.

“We aimed to continue batting for as long as possible. We were confident that if we (Nair and Wadkar) could sustain our partnership, the runs would come naturally. Our focus was on batting through the sessions without taking unnecessary risks. I could have attempted more aggressive shots, but it wasn’t worth the gamble. The goal was to bat and deny them any opportunities. Who knows, if I had continued batting and we were 280 runs behind, anything could have happened tomorrow,” Nair explained.

Mumbai’s trio of spinners, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, and Musheer, especially Musheer, bowled with great discipline and conceded very few runs. “The spinners performed well, but the pitch offered consistent bounce for the pace bowlers as well. We had to work hard for every wicket we took today. Vidarbha showed impressive resilience in pursuit of such a daunting target. So, each wicket we managed to take today was hard-earned. Hopefully, by lunchtime tomorrow or shortly after, we’ll be able to wrap up the match,” Deshpande commented.

While this assessment is pragmatic given the current state of the match, cricket is known for its unpredictability. Anything can happen, right?